Pepijn Luckerover 2 years ago
My name is Pepijn Lucker and I am a historical researcher at the National Archives of The Netherlands. Currently, I am doing research into so-called Engelandvaarders: the around 2500 Dutch men and women who escaped occupied Europe to join the allied armed forces in the UK. One of these men is Bram (or Bob) van der Stok, a pilot who flew for the Dutch Airforce in May 1940 during the Blitzkrieg. He escaped to Britain on board ship in July 1941 and later that year joined the RAF. On the 12th of April 1942 he was shot down over Saint Omer, France and eventually transported to Stalag Luft III. There he participated in the (in)famous Great Escape of March 1944 and was in fact one of the 3 men who managed a ‘home run’. In the Dutch national Archives I managed to track down reports of interrogation by the Dutch authorities in London where Van der Stok relates his version of the events surrounding the escape from the camp and his eventual return to England. I’m also interested in finding equivalent documents in English. After returning to England Van der Stok was extensively debriefed over the course of several days by British intelligence organizations. These include MI9 and I have scans of their report via The National Archives of the UK (ref# WO-208-3320-95).
This report has several appendices (A-D) but unfortunately these are not included in the TNA scan. And it's in the appendices that a lot of interesting information is contained. For instance in Appendix A (TOP SECRET). These can contain names and addresses of helpers, nature of help given, and relevant dates. However, these appendices were distributed among many organizations including non-UK like SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) and ETOUSA (European Theater of Operations, United States Army). So, long story short: is it possible that copies of these escape reports survive in US records? And if so, where would I be able to find them? Best regards
Top Replies
- Dear Pepijn Lucker, Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Escape and Evasion Reports, 1942-1945 in the Records of Headquarters…
Rachael Salyerover 2 years ago+1
- Hi Rachael, so this is a bit (ahum 2 months) late but I do want to thank you for your reply. Thank you very much for looking into my question and going into so much detail answering it. This most certainly…
Pepijn Luckerover 2 years agoin reply to Rachael Salyer+1
0Rachael Salyerover 2 years ago
Dear Pepijn Lucker,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Escape and Evasion Reports, 1942-1945 in the Records of Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (World War II) (Record Group 498) that contains a reference to “vander STOK (M.I.9/S/P.G.(G)2032)” on image 35 of the file for Stonebarger, Gilbert Marvin (2nd Lt.). The series also contains 2 references to Stalag Luft III and 17 references to Dulag Luft. These records have been digitized and may be viewed online using the Catalog.
Next, we located the series British Military Intelligence Section 9 (MI-9) Escape and Evasion Reports and Intelligence School 9 (I.S.9) Repatriation Questionnaires, 1944-1945, the series Intelligence School 9 (I.S.9), Western European Area (WEA), British Section, Escape and Evasion Reports, 1943-1945, and the series Card List of Names of British Commonwealth Airmen who Escaped from the Enemy, 1943-1946 in Record Group 498 that relate primarily related to the escape and/or evasion activities of British military personnel. These records have not been digitized. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) at archives2reference@nara.gov for more information about these and similar records.
We also located the series Stalag Name Index to the Series "Case Files, 1944-1949" in the Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Army) (Record Group 153) that includes 93 reference to Stalag Luft III that may be relevant to your research. This index has been digitized and may be viewed in the Catalog. The case numbers on each card relate to records in several other series in Record Group 153. For example, case files 12-41 and 12-243 are located in the series Case Files, 1944-1949, and the series Persons and Places Dossier Files, 1945-1948 that contains case file 100-411 - Stalag Luft III (Sagan, Germany). The case files have not been digitized. For access to these records, please contact RDT2.
Due to the continued impact of COVID-19, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA’s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!
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0Pepijn Luckerover 2 years agoin reply to Rachael Salyer
Hi Rachael, so this is a bit (ahum 2 months) late but I do want to thank you for your reply. Thank you very much for looking into my question and going into so much detail answering it. This most certainly is helpful! I've managed to find the Escape and Evasion reports of two US airmen who crossed the Pyrenees together with Van der Stok into Spain. This further completes the picture I have of his escape.
So thanks again. Kind regards, Pepijn Lucker
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